In the stories of Werner von Mutzenbecher, spaces open up between reality and dream. Landscapes, cities, and people appear with the vividness of a painter: the shimmering light of the South, the changing sea, barren nature, bustling squares, and mysterious encounters. As you read, images begin to unfold immediately before your inner eye.

However, the stories lead further than just into the world of the visible. Mutzenbecher's characters encounter boundaries and abysses: in strange situations, in transformations, in encounters with the uncanny. Dreams and visions, temptation and seduction, heaven and hell often lie just a step apart. Behind seemingly familiar figures—mysterious women, soldiers, shepherds, or princes—something unexpected, sometimes even something evil, is concealed.

Thus, a collection of multifaceted tales emerges, where fantasy, irony, and dark humor come together. A bit of the brilliance of a summer day remains, along with an echo that continues to glow in the dreams of the night.

Werner von Mutzenbecher, born in 1937 in Frankfurt am Main, now lives as a painter, filmmaker, and author in Basel. He attended schools in Riehen and Basel, studied philosophy and German studies for two semesters at the University of Basel, pursued art studies at the Allgemeine Gewerbeschule Basel from 1957 to 1960, worked night shifts at the post office, served as interim curator of the Kunsthalle Basel in 1977, taught at the School of Design Basel, and from 1987 to 2000 led the painting class at the Hochschule für Gestaltung Basel. Since 1968, he has also created experimental films, free and applied texts, exhibitions, and film screenings both domestically and internationally. His publications include 'Reise nach Polgsen, Polish Peczyn', 'Die Geschichte von Monsieur M.', and 'Jonathan träumt' published by Stroemfeld Verlag, and 'Im Film sein' published by modo Verlag. Most recently, the prose volumes 'Fremde Stadt', 'Die Lieder', and 'Dort geht Sergio', as well as the poetry collection 'Die Gedichte', were published in the edition exemplum.